Tender Loving Care
by sheepish123
Summary: Amanda needs help with an intimate aspect of caring for herself after she is mildly injured in the field, and Olivia offers her assistance. One-shot. Olivia/Amanda pairing.


**This story takes place in season 20, but Noah, Jesse, Billie, Frannie, and Dr. Al don't exist. **

**I've posted a few darker chapters lately, so I wanted to take a break and post something lighter before continuing with the third and final instalment of "Upon the Stair", which is also going to be quite dark. I'm working on several other stories at the moment, and none of them are particularly cheery, so I wanted to post some smutty fluff. :) **

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"I don't need a damn babysitter, Liv."

These are the first words that her grumpy subordinate has spoken since leaving the precinct at the end of the day; an announcement that Olivia is not the least bit surprised to hear after she offers to spend the evening at her injured detective's home. It had been a tense, silent ride to Amanda's building from the station, and they are now strolling slowly down the hallway to her apartment, Olivia keeping a close eye on the smaller woman as she sways slightly next to her.

"I thought you were just walking me to my door. I didn't realize you were planning a slumber party for us."

"I'm not staying overnight," Olivia sighs with a roll of eyes as they come to a halt at Amanda's place, and it takes a moment for the other woman to fish her keys out of her pocket with an unsteady hand. "I just want to make sure you're going to be okay for the next little while."

"I've been taking care of myself for my entire life and I do a pretty good job of it, even when I'm sick or injured," Amanda retorts irritably, Olivia watching her pale hand tremble as she slides the key into the lock and the door swings open. "It's not that I don't appreciate you driving me home but you're not obligated to stay and look after me, so please feel free to leave anytime."

Olivia is highly tempted to take the younger woman up on her offer, as she has been pretty close to strangling Amanda for the past couple of hours due to her petulant attitude, but is genuinely worried for the blonde's well-being. "I still think you should have let me take you to the emergency room instead of coming home. Carisi said you might have hit your head-"

"I didn't hit my head and I don't need to go to the damn hospital," Amanda interrupts with a grumble of dissent as they step inside the apartment together. "It's just a few strained muscles, that's all. I'll probably feel a hundred percent better in the morning, after a hot shower and a good sleep."

"Actually, you probably won't," Olivia points out, rapidly losing her patience with the detective's childish demeanor and her tone just as snide as Amanda's is now. "You're most likely going to feel much worse before you start feeling better. Sometimes the worst of it doesn't hit until the next day."

"Wow, thanks for the pep talk, Liv," Amanda sneers as she shrugs out of her coat with a slight whimper that tugs at Olivia's heartstrings. "Can we stop talking about this now?"

"You don't have to be embarrassed." Olivia takes Amanda's jacket from her before removing her own, and making sure to soften her tone when she continues speaking. "Everyone gets injured in the line of the duty. We've all been there multiple times, including yourself. You shouldn't be ashamed because of it."

"It's not like I got shot again," Amanda groans as a fiery red blush creeps up her neck to infuse her cheeks with bright spots of color. "All I did was trip over the damn curb while I was getting out of the SUV because my feet suddenly got tangled together. The suspect got away while I was too busy writhing in pain on the ground to help Carisi go after him."

"But then you got up and chased him, anyway, which probably just made things even worse," Olivia admonishes with a shake of her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's no wonder you can barely move without screaming. You added insult to injury by doing that. You should have just stayed put on the ground."

"Oh yeah, so everyone could point and laugh at the cop who can't even exit a vehicle properly without falling on her ass," Amanda gripes with a huff. "I actually had to talk Carisi out of calling a bus. I think I would have died of embarrassment if he had done that."

Olivia has to stifle a grin at the overprotective nature of her Italian detective, although she supposes that she's not much better herself, as her own protective instincts had kicked right in the instant she had heard that Amanda had been injured. No matter how much the younger woman drives her crazy and grates on her nerves, she has a soft spot for the headstrong blonde and tries not to peer too closely at certain feelings that have been residing deep down inside for quite some time now; feelings that a lieutenant shouldn't be harboring for her detective.

"Anyway, I'm going to take a hot shower to soothe my aching muscles and wash all this dirt and grime off of me while I try to forget about this day. And then I'm going to put on some comfortable pajamas and climb into bed," Amanda continues in a weary tone, her shoulders slumping as she explains her plan for the evening. "If you absolutely insist on staying, there's wine in the cupboard if you want some. And leftover Chinese food in the fridge, although I'm not sure how long it's been there for."

"I think I'll opt for the wine," Olivia replies with a wrinkle of her nose. "And yes, I absolutely insist on staying, especially since you might have hit your head."

"I _didn't_ hit my head, and you really don't have to be here," Amanda tries again, a whine evident in her voice now, and Olivia fixing her with a stern expression.

"I'm not going anywhere," she says firmly, planting her hands on her hips. "You're just too damn stubborn to admit when you're not okay and you need some help."

"Fine, suit yourself, then." Amanda sighs and turns away with a wave of her hand, Olivia not missing the wince of discomfort that comes immediately after the small gesture. "I'm getting in the shower."

She watches the other woman shuffle off toward the bathroom and then rummages through the cupboards until she locates a bottle of red wine and a glass. Her stomach suddenly gives a loud rumble of hunger and Olivia decides to investigate the food in the fridge, wrinkling her nose again and immediately slamming the door shut at the unpleasantly strong smell of Chinese takeout gone bad.

She is relaxing on the couch, sipping contentedly on the wine and flipping idly through the channels on the TV, when Olivia hears her name being called from the bathroom. She places the glass on the coffee table and leaps to her feet, hurrying toward the closed door and rapping her knuckles loudly against the wood, hoping Amanda hasn't injured herself even more by taking a shower.

"What's wrong?" she calls out in concern, opening the door a crack when Amanda tells her that it's okay to do so, a wave of steam billowing out from inside the room and wafting into her face.

"I, uh, tried to wash my hair but I can't raise my arms up high enough to put the shampoo in." Amanda's voice sounds somewhat timid and guilty, as if aware that she has taken on too much by trying to shower instead of rest.

"For god's sake, Amanda, will you just get out of there and let me take you to a doctor?" Olivia snaps as she opens the door a little wider and squints through the thick steam in the direction of the closed shower curtain.

_"No,"_ Amanda snarks back, her voice sounding remarkably like a petulant toddler instead of a seasoned detective. "I just want to get cleaned up and go to bed. Will you please help me, Liv?"

"Ugh." Olivia grimaces and rests her forehead against the door frame for a moment, knowing full well that she is going to give in, just like she always seems to do with Amanda. "Okay, I'll help you."

"Thanks, Liv. I knew I could count on you."

Olivia tries not to let the uncharacteristically tiny voice and vulnerable tone get to her as she steps inside the bathroom, unable to help the smirk that pulls at her mouth when she sees an arm sticking straight out from between the tiled wall and patterned shower curtain, slender fingers clutched around a bottle of shampoo. "Okay, I'm going to need to see a little bit more of you than that, Amanda, unless you want me to shampoo the hair on your arm instead of the hair on your head."

A drenched blonde head pokes out from behind the shower curtain, golden hair plastered to the sides of a flushed face that is sporting a sheepish smile, and Olivia's heart unexpectedly skips a beat at how adorable and defenceless Amanda looks right now, the bitchy, angry attitude having dropped away and leaving the other woman appearing somewhat deflated and apologetic.

She smiles back, not trusting herself to speak as a nervous fluttering takes up residence inside her stomach, the feeling akin to the gentle flap of butterfly wings, taking the bottle from Amanda and the scent of strawberries filling the air when she unscrews the lid. The next few minutes are an exercise in extreme awkwardness as they try to find the best way to complete this activity, Olivia's body hanging half in and half out of the tub while trying not to help herself to an eyeful of Amanda's tantalizingly nude figure.

A crick is quickly forming at the base of her neck as she desperately tries to keep her gaze averted while she works the shampoo into Amanda's hair, cursing when a rush of water spills over the porcelain siding and flecks of the silky substance are flung into her face. "Okay, this is ridiculous," Olivia sputters as she wipes her eyes on the shoulder of her shirt. "Your bathroom floor is starting to resemble a pool and I'm about to go blind from getting shampoo in my eyes. There has to be an easier way to do this."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Olivia is startled at the sultry note in Amanda's voice, unsure if it was intentional or not but her body reacting just the same. "That we shower together?"

"Well, that would certainly make things easier-" Olivia abruptly cuts herself off and cringes with regret, her teeth clenching together and her eyes squeezing briefly shut. "God, what am I even saying? I'm so sorry, Amanda. That was beyond inappropriate of me."

"Liv, you worry way too much," Amanda chastises lightly, Olivia feeling the dance of dainty fingers across her arm. "I didn't say no. See, I'm not being stubborn now, am I? I'm letting you help me."

"Amanda, you don't have to take a shower with your lieutenant to prove that you're not being stubborn," Olivia responds with no small amount of guilt, a tight knot of shame replacing the butterflies in her stomach. "I shouldn't have brought it up-"

"I was the one who brought it up, not you," Amanda interrupts lightly with a shrug, Olivia noticing another wince of pain that the movement brings. "Look, you can either come in here with me and we can get this done sometime in the next century, or we can spend the rest of the night standing around talking about it. Or I can just go to bed with a head full of shampoo," she adds with a laugh, Olivia's lips quirking up at this comical option.

"I just don't want to make you uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention to overstep my boundaries, even though I've kind of been doing that already, haven't I?" Olivia's voice is soft and reserved as she tries to ignore the hint of desire that she is pretty sure she can see shining in Amanda's big blue eyes. "Insisting on staying in your home when you clearly didn't want me here was a pretty shitty thing to do, wasn't it?"

"You're not making me uncomfortable and you didn't overstep your boundaries, Liv," Amanda assures her quietly. "I have a lot of trouble admitting when I need help because I'm so used to being on my own, but I really appreciate you putting up with me and helping me out. And I honestly don't mind sharing the tub with you if it means I can actually finish this shower at some point tonight." There is a slight pause, a small smile on Amanda's face again and a twinkle glinting in her eye now. "And I'm not exactly shy about my body, so I don't care if you see me naked, Liv."

"Well, I'm kind of shy about mine," Olivia admits in a whispered tone, and it seems like every last ounce of confidence that she possesses has suddenly been swept away at the thought of standing side by side in the nude with someone as stunning as Amanda.

"Well, you shouldn't be," Amanda whispers back, Olivia's heart skipping another beat as those slim fingers trail from her arm up to her face, caressing tenderly across her cheekbone. "You're beautiful, Liv."

"Thanks," she answers doubtfully, although she can feel another smile tugging at her lips in response to the lovely compliment. "I suppose I can get in there with my clothes on, if I don't want to take them off."

"If you really want to do that, go right ahead," Amanda chuckles with a roll of her eyes. "But I'm guessing that's going to be very uncomfortable for you. I'll turn around or close my eyes if that'll make you feel better, okay? I won't even look at you."

"You're absolutely sure this is okay?" Olivia persists one final time, starting to feel pretty foolish about the situation when she finds herself seriously contemplating climbing into the tub fully dressed.

"As long as you're comfortable with it, Liv, it's fine with me."

"Okay," Olivia agrees quietly, handing the bottle of shampoo to Amanda and taking a step away from the tub. "I'll join you in a minute."

She watches the younger woman nod with an unreadable look on her face, Olivia closing the shower curtain to create a barrier between them while she undresses, in complete disbelief that she is actually going through with this. Once her clothes have been removed and are folded neatly on the counter, she turns toward the tub as her heart pounds with anticipation, biting down hard on her lower lip before announcing that she is ready to come in if Amanda still wants her to, and listening to the other woman give her consent.

Amanda is turned toward the shower head with her back to Olivia when she climbs carefully into the tub, and she stands there in shocked silence for a moment, eyes widening and jaw slackening as her gaze roams slowly over the strong but slender set of Amanda's shoulders, and down the toned muscles of her back to the twin globes of firm flesh at her rear, water droplets streaking skin that is unblemished except for the small bullet scar on her shoulder blade.

"You okay, Liv?" Amanda asks softly, breaking the silence that has fallen over the small space and causing Olivia to jump slightly at the sound. "You're awfully quiet back there."

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," she replies in a raspy voice that she tries to smooth out into a casual, unbothered tone, not wanting the younger woman to know just how much she is affected by her nudity.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Amanda says with a chuckle, a hint of amusement evident in her tone when Olivia continues to stand there stock-still, making no effort whatsoever to retrieve the bottle of shampoo. "Now that we've established that you're fine, maybe we can pick up where we left off? My hair is still only half washed."

"Sure," Olivia agrees faintly as she leans over to grasp onto the bottle, chastising herself for her immature behavior and feeling quite silly for acting as if she has never seen another naked woman before.

She is no stranger to relationships with women, friendship and dating alike, but as she has gotten older and life has taken its toll on her both personally and professionally, doing her fair share of breaking hearts while getting her own broken many times in the process, those relationships have fallen by the wayside. Olivia isn't as open with most people as she used to be, guarding her heart and her body a little more each time something traumatic happens and never quite recovering enough from each event to return to the person she used to be, but there is just something about Amanda; something that could change all of that and bring Olivia out of the shell that she seems to be hiding in more and more lately.

She gently washes Amanda's hair before rinsing the shampoo out and adding some conditioner, finding herself becoming lost in the light scrubbing motion of her fingertips across Amanda's scalp and ruminating on just what makes the other woman so intriguing to her. That special blend of tough and tender that Amanda displays at the precinct, depending on the circumstances of the job, combined with her tenacious spirit and stunning good looks, is an interesting mixture that had captivated Olivia long ago. Despite the somewhat obnoxious and frustrating quality of doing whatever she damn well pleases half the time, Olivia has a deep admiration and respect for Amanda, knowing the blonde has been through some very rough stuff in her life but always managing to pull herself back from the darkness and keep moving forward.

"Do you need help with anything else?" she asks quietly, once the conditioner has been well rinsed and Amanda's hair is hanging over her shoulders in a long wet curtain.

"Can you do my back?" Amanda asks softly, the younger woman sounding much more relaxed and at ease now, the obvious pain that was in her voice earlier having dissipated.

"Sure." Olivia pours a generous amount of body wash into palms that are noticeably trembling and begins massaging it into Amanda's shoulders, trailing her hands slowly down her back and digging her thumbs lightly into the defined muscles she finds there.

Amanda's skin is so smooth and slick, the body wash creating a thick soapy sheen, that Olivia's hands accidentally slip down too far and graze over the firm cheeks below. "Shit, sorry," she mutters, blushing furiously as she immediately yanks her hands away. "It was an accident."

"It's okay, Liv. My whole body feels like a Slip 'N Slide right now, so I think it was hard to avoid," Amanda snickers, not sounding the least bit upset about what has just occurred. "And I can't reach that part anyway. It hurts to move that way, and it also hurts...there."

"It hurts?" Olivia murmurs as she stares at the body part in question, her mortification and arousal falling away to be replaced with concern.

"Yeah, my whole body hurts, but it seemed weird to mention that I have a literal pain in my ass, when I _am_ a pain in the ass," Amanda chuckles in return, and Olivia can't help laughing with her.

"Well, I'm not going to argue with that," she acknowledges truthfully, trying to tear her gaze away from those soft round globes of flesh. "You're definitely a pain in the ass, but I'm sorry it hurts there, though. You really did a number on yourself, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did. You know... you can put your hands back...if you want to," Amanda mumbles in a tentative tone, Olivia sucking in a sharp breath at this suggestion. "It felt really nice."

Olivia's heart is pounding in her chest as she slowly lowers her hands back down until they are making contact with Amanda's warm, sleek skin, holding her palms there for a moment before she begins moving her fingers. She listens to the sigh of pleasure that emits from the woman in front of her, and the sound goes straight to her groin, a wetness that has nothing to do with the shower flooding the area between her legs, and Olivia can't believe this is actually happening; that she is standing naked in a bathtub with Amanda while she massages her backside.

"God, that feels amazing," Amanda says in a breathy tone, Olivia gulping hard when she feels the muscles rippling beneath her touch. "You have magic hands, Liv. You know, there are some other areas of my body that could use some tender loving care as well."

"Oh, yeah?" Olivia can barely get the words out, her voice seemingly stuck inside her throat, and she coughs roughly in order to speak more clearly again. "Like where?"

"Is it okay if I turn around while we have this conversation?" Amanda asks with a giggle, instead of answering the question.

"Yeah, sure," Olivia whispers, her breath catching in her throat as Amanda whirls around, but then reaching out to grasp onto her arms when the smaller woman almost loses her balance and goes toppling to the floor of the tub.

Olivia realizes that Amanda's eyes are still closed, her heart melting with gratitude and amusement that the detective is still allowing her some privacy even in this intimate situation. She can't help her gaze from sweeping the entire length of the blonde's gorgeous figure, her arms and legs slender and toned, her breasts small and perky with dark pink nipples that are standing at attention, and a soaking wet thatch of golden curls nestled at the juncture of her thighs.

"So, um, which other areas are in need of some tender loving care?" Olivia croaks out, watching the smirk playing at the corners of Amanda's lips and suddenly feeling a desperate need to turn the spray of water to a much cooler temperature.

"You know, it would be easier to talk about this if I could open my eyes," Amanda laughs lightly, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow arching high on her forehead.

"Oops, sorry about that," Olivia chuckles nervously. "It's just...I have some scars," she adds softly, reminded of how much different her wounds are than the scars that Amanda bears from being shot.

"I know you do, Liv," Amanda says gently, Olivia meeting a smaller pair of hands with her own when she sees the younger woman reaching out for her. "It's okay. And if you really don't want me to see them, I can keep my eyes closed. I promise not to open them if you don't want me to."

"No, you can open them," Olivia says quietly, chiding herself once again for acting so ridiculously, but acknowledging that she is taking a very big step by letting Amanda see the marks.

Amanda's eyelids flutter open and they lock gazes immediately, the other woman keeping her eyes fixed firmly on her face until the corner of Olivia's lip lifts in a smile and she dips her chin, watching as Amanda's gaze glides over the entirety of her body in the same fashion that Olivia had just done with Amanda's.

"You're gorgeous, Liv," she murmurs in a reverent tone. "And your scars don't change that."

"Right back at you, Amanda," Olivia replies softly, still feeling somewhat nervous but a blush heating her cheeks at another unexpected compliment. "You're utterly stunning."

There is a matching blush on Amanda's face now, the other woman mumbling her own thanks, and Olivia clears her throat, eager to change the topic of conversation and not let this situation travel down a dark road. "So, I believe you were about to tell me which other areas are in need..."

"Well, my whole body _does_ hurt, Liv, every single part of it," Amanda answers with a cheeky grin, that twinkle back in her eye again. "And I'm having trouble reaching certain areas without the pain getting worse..."

"Hmm, funny how you seem to be singing a different tune now than you were a little while ago, when you were bitching and moaning at receiving any help and attention at all, and you kept telling me that you were just fine." Olivia can't resist teasing the younger woman about her previously bad attitude, despite Amanda's admittance that she does indeed need help but has trouble asking for it.

"Well, I've decided to be more honest with you now, Liv," Amanda replies with a shrug, not looking the least bit apologetic or guilty this time. "And some areas are more in _need_ than others. They ache, you know?"

"Yes, I think I'm familiar with that kind of ache," Olivia answers dryly, the throbbing between her legs becoming more persistent and nearly impossible to ignore now. "And I don't think it has anything to do with the sort of ache that comes from tripping over a curb."

"Can you please stop bringing that up?" Amanda grouses in annoyance, a frown overtaking the mirth in her expression. "I think it's already been covered multiple times that I was a clumsy idiot who let a suspect get away because I couldn't stay on my feet, so it would be nice if we could stop mentioning it now."

"Okay, I'll stop mentioning it if you tell me where you need some more tender loving care." Olivia's voice is somewhat choked because she knows exactly which spots Amanda is referring to, and just the thought of touching her even more intimately than she already has is nearly enough to make her knees buckle and send her tumbling to the slippery bottom of the tub.

"Well, I think that's pretty obvious, isn't it? I wasn't expecting to take a shower with my boss tonight and it's making me really..."

"Really what?" Olivia prompts raggedly, running her tongue around her mouth to moisten lips that have suddenly gone dry, and noticing that Amanda is watching the action very intently.

"Horny," the younger woman blurts out bluntly, a sputter of both laughter and arousal escaping Olivia's mouth as she watches Amanda widen her stance slightly and continue her explanation. "To be perfectly honest, if I didn't feel like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, I would be shoving you up against the wall and having my way with you right now. But since I'm kind of limited in my mobility, I'm going to need you to take the lead here, Liv. How do you feel about extending that massage to some other areas of my body, specifically somewhere lower?"

"Amanda, this doesn't seem like the safest place to continue with the..._massage_...and I don't want you to get hurt any worse than you already are." Olivia is practically panting when she speaks, her heart pounding out of control and her body sweating profusely under the uncomfortably warm spray of water that only seems to be growing hotter and steamier the longer they stand there in the nude and stare at each other, her breath catching in her throat at Amanda's next words.

"Well, maybe we should go somewhere safer, then." Amanda's voice is dripping with seduction and her touch sends sparks of electricity shooting along Olivia's skin when she feels a suggestive hand skimming down her arm and slender fingers entwining with her own. "Since you've already gotten the tour of my bathroom, would you like to see my bedroom, Liv?"

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**A/N: This story was originally meant to be a two-shot, but I have decided to just leave it as it is and not continue with it. Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


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